There are plenty of clues: the success of Thebe Magugu, the first African designer to win the LVMH Prize in 2019, who is now preparing to be the first designer to create a collection for AZ Factory following the death of Alber Elbaz; the book \u2018Swinging Africa, le continent mode\u2019 by Emmanuelle Courr\u00e8ges, published in France in November 2021 by Flammarion; the new R\u00e9v\u00e9lations biennial art exhibition scheduled in Paris on June 9-12 2022, which will be followed by \u2018Africa Fashion\u2019 at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (from July 2022 to April 2023), a major exhibition devoted to African designers, from the immediate post-WW2 period to the present day. Clearly, Africa is on the agenda all over the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s all happening on the African fashion scene,\u201d said French journalist Emmanuelle Courr\u00e8ges, who grew up in West Africa and founded Lago54, a platform for promoting and showcasing African fashion, and also works as press officer for Cameroonian designer Imane Ayissi. \u201cLittle by little, a number of players and now also investors are realising that not only there is great potential [in Africa], but also a need to make space for voices that are imagining the future. Nelly Wandji and I arrived very early on, eight years ago with Moonlook and five with Lago54, at a time when African fashion only interested a handful of people. We broke new ground, helping create what is happening today,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Africa\u2019s evolution has been on the radar of financial analysts for some time. \u201cIn recent years, economic diversification has made it possible for a middle class to emerge in Africa, thereby stimulating demand for consumer products, services, and luxury brands,\u201d wrote consulting firm Deloitte in its study \u2018Consumption in Africa, the market of the 21st century\u2019, published in June 2015. \u201cThe rise in consumer demand, combined with an annual growth rate close to 8%, is expected to increase Africa\u2019s GDP by approximately $1.1 trillion by 2019. Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Mozambique are among the fastest growing markets, and large economies such as Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, and Egypt continue to perform well. Africa\u2019s opportunity for consumption growth rests on five key factors: the rise of the middle class, population growth, the predominant presence of younger generations, fast urbanisation, and the rapid adoption of digital technology,\u201d added Deloitte.<\/p>\n
More than ever in 2022, Africa\u2019s star is shining bright. \u201cFinally, the continent it taking back control of its image and narrative,\u201d said Laureen Kouassi-Olsson, founder and CEO of Birimian, an investment firm that specialises in providing financial, strategic and operational support to luxury and premium brands of African heritage. \u201c[Africa] is a land of opportunity, where brands have understood contemporary challenges but are fostering their own values, inspired by history and craftsmanship. With Birimian, I\u2019m demonstrating that African fashion is on the map and can be profitable,\u201d she added. Barely a year after being set up, Birimian has forged a partnership with the French Fashion Institute (IFM) to create a collective programme supporting African designers at every stage in their development. And the latest edition of the Premi\u00e8re Classe Tuileries trade show in Paris welcomed seven of the collective’s labels: Christie Brown, Kente Gentlemen, Mille Collines, Rich Mnisi, Shekudo, This Is Us and Um\u00f2ja. \u201cThe feed-back we received was positive. The buyers present [at the show] made it clear to us they needed to see new things, and they did place some orders,\u201d said Kouassi-Olsson. Further proof of the current interest in Africa is the fact that Birimian has recently teamed up with Trail, an independent European private equity firm whose portfolio includes 12 companies, among them Wella, APM Monaco and PR agency Mazarine, specialised in luxury and premium brands. The goals for Birimian and its African labels are to develop an industrial approach producing greater added value, to promote operational synergies and also, for Birimian, to open a Parisian branch based at Trail\u2019s offices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The slogan of the moment might very well be: \u201cAfrica is the new chic.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":6035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,2,36],"tags":[7,37,38],"class_list":{"0":"post-6038","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fashion","8":"category-featured","9":"category-lifestyle","10":"tag-apie-project","11":"tag-fashion","12":"tag-lifestyle"},"yoast_head":"\n